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Because of continuing supply-chain issues and a snowy winter, many of our picks are hard to find. We’ve updated links where we can, and we’ll continue to monitor the stock issues.
Consider the grocery store parking lot. On a frigid winter afternoon in the northern latitudes, you may encounter dry pavement, wet pavement, packed snow, fluffy snow, chunky ice, black ice, wet ice, slush, a slick cocktail of oil and grit, or some combination of all of these things. After doing 125 hours of research and in-the-snow trials wearing 29 pairs of boots, we picked a variety of options to help you navigate the ever-changing underfoot topography of winter.
There are several top performers, including some traditional lace-up winter boots for men and women and a more modern design that treads easily atop fresh snow. There are recommendations for slip-ons that provide better-than-average traction in ice and snow. There’s a boot that’s perfect for walking on icy pavement, a snow slipper for winter driving or air travel, and one plush, wool-lined leather boot that functions better, overall, than anything else we tried.
We researched and tested designs meant for light outdoor activity in places that are cold enough to see snow. That means shoveling the driveway, walking an outdoor mall in the winter, or getting from your car to the office. We tested for functionality, not style. Hopefully you’ll find something you like here, and if you don’t, we aim to show you what to look for when you shop.
What does this guide not cover?
I’ve been researching and wearing boots for Wirecutter for almost six years. In that time, I’ve tested footwear in two regional floods (both of which involved boat evacuation), during the fourth-largest snowfall since record keeping began in the Lake Tahoe basin, and in spring in the Teton Valley of Idaho, a place where mud has its own season. I have a deep affinity for dramatic weather, a knack for getting stuck in it, and more than a few interests (snowboards, motorcycles) that have me wearing boots almost every day of the year.
The Kamik Nation Plus offers the best combination of performance on the most types of cold-weather surfaces—from icy driveways to snow-packed fields—that we’ve found.
Get this if: You need something that will keep your feet warm and dry during light outdoor activity in the snow, like shoveling the driveway or walking from the car to the office.
Why it’s great: The Kamik Nation Plus slightly outperforms all the other boot options without resorting to anything showy. It has above-average traction on a variety of winter surfaces, and it’s warm, waterproof, and built to keep snow out.
The Nation Plus has three advantages that give it better-than-average traction: a nubby tread pattern that grips chunky ice, a wide base that provides support on smooth surfaces, and a comfortable fit that keeps the ankle stable on fresh snow. The “speed lacing” system, a feature borrowed from the realm of hiking boots, helps with that—it can lace tighter than traditional D-rings. Neither the Baffin Canada nor the L.L.Bean Snow Boots nor the LaCross Outpost II fit as well as the Nation Plus.
These boots are rated to -40 °F/-40 °C, which through testing we found provided ideal warmth for casual activity—not too hot, not too cold. Advertised temperature ratings are a guess, not gospel: They don’t account for the activity you’re doing, for how long you’re doing it, or for your individual metabolism. But our testers’ subjective opinions (out in the cold they went, with no idea how warm the boots were!) consistently aligned with the ratings. The 40/40 mark was perceived by all as comfortably warm.
A great snow boot is not only waterproof around the base but will lace up tall over your pants to keep water (and snow) out. With a shaft height of 11½ inches, the Kamik will cover more of your pant leg than the North Face Chilkat III, which is much shorter. The interior liner is also removable, which can help the interior dry faster.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: This isn’t a specialized boot; if you want something for specifically walking long distances or on ice there are better choices. Also, this boot is not available in sizes smaller than a men’s size 7 (equivalent to a women’s size 8); if your feet are smaller, consider the Sorel Caribou.
Sorel’s original design, the Caribou, is a better snow boot than most, and it excels in wetter, slushier weather.
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $190.
Sorel’s original design, the Caribou, is a better snow boot than most, and it excels in wetter, slushier weather.
Get this if: You want a snow boot with an impervious rubber base that also lifts you out of slushy, snowy muck. This boot is great for warmer winters that go through a lot of freeze and thaw cycles.
Why it’s great: The Sorel Caribou, which comes in men’s and women’s sizes, feels impenetrable. When we tested it against eight other options, it fit better and felt warmer, and its wide base and nubby rubber kept our feet steady on different winter surfaces.
The rubber sole lifts you almost an inch and a half above the ground, which keeps feet warm and dry by physically removing you from the slush. The tongue is gusseted (sewn to the sides of the boot) all the way to the top of the snow collar, a rarity (not even the Kamik is sewn this high). The shaft laces high and tight, and the Caribou has its own sort of speed lacing, composed of four sets of fat, exterior D-rings that allow laces to slide with little friction; this will help you get the boot on and off your foot with less effort. Finally, the snow collar prevents flakes from entering.
The boot has three features that provide traction similar to the Kamik Nation Plus: a wide surface area underfoot, a nubby lug pattern that grabs onto chunky ice, and a proper fit. Though the sole can feel clunky, the boot still fits well. Several other boots we tried didn’t: Either the heel lifted or the ankle had no support, and both of those issues can cause a foot to slide while you’re walking on snow.
Like the Kamik, the Caribous are rated to -40 °F/-40 °C, and testers reported warm feet while wearing them. The liner is synthetic, but you can get a version of the boot with a wool liner, which doesn’t trap odor the way synthetic materials can.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: This boot can be stiff, and it is hard to drive in. I often see people walking around with the laces undone on their driving foot. Even so, when compared with other options, the Caribou worked better.
Ugg can be a polarizing brand, but testing doesn’t lie: This boot was more functional and comfortable in winter weather than anything we tried. The main drawback is the price.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $225.
The Adirondack III is the women’s equivalent to the Butte, only with a different rubber sole and better lugs. Similarly, the big drawback is the price.
Get this if: You’re willing to pay a lot for a boot. In return, you’ll get something lighter and cozier than anything we tested. Plus, these boots are steadier on snow, and easier to walk and drive in.
Why it’s great: When a boot fits like a worn-in leather shoe—as the Ugg Adirondack III (in women’s sizes) and its counterpart the Ugg Butte (in men’s sizes) both do—it moves easier. When a snow boot has this additional flexibility, walking and driving are simpler. The boots also feel less heavy and obtrusive on your feet. If the Sorel Caribou is the F-150 of winter boots, these are the Land Rover.
The Adirondack III and the Butte both come with the wool lining rolled down, but you can roll it up—up to 11 inches—to create the tall shaft we required of all our snow boots. Ugg’s trademark wool lining is a major reason this boot is so functional. The non-synthetic lining means you’ll get years of wear without experiencing any sign of odor. Notably, on the women’s boot, the upper part of the liner is a synthetic material, but the lining around the foot is wool.
This fluffy liner provides warmth and a luxurious feel. These boots are rated down to only -32 °C (less than what was generally considered warm enough), yet testers reported having toasty, happy feet.
Finally, the lining creates the snug fit around the foot that enables good traction. The wide, flat sole plants firmly against smooth ice, the nubby lugs grip textured ice, and the close fit of the lining provides stability. Those are the features that provided the best traction and stability for all our picks, and the combination of all three means this boot is as stable as any we tested.
The men’s Butte has a different rubber and tread pattern than the women’s Adirondack. That said, the lugs on the women’s boot are almost better, able to bite into and around ice that has a lot of texture. A tall version of the Adirondack III is also available.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The price is the real downside of these boots, but this was the boot everyone wanted to go home with.
Think of this as a modern moccasin—the snug foot and flexible ankle make walking through snow, and walking in general, light and easy. However, they’re not as warm as our other picks.
Get this if: You want a boot that’s light and particularly good for walking over snow drifts. This is a great option for driving and running errands around town—not so much for extended time outside or in icy conditions
Why it’s great: The snug, form-fitting foot of the Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat (Women’s) makes this boot wear almost like a slipper, and the tall, tightly laced shaft and faux fur snow collar keep fluffy stuff out. Plus, these boots are much easier to drive in than boots with a stiff leather exterior.
The Heavenly is a perfect example of how a good fit can create more traction. A nearly identical boot, the North Face Shellista II, didn’t grip as well because the foot was looser. This boot has a tread pattern that’s more pronounced than others (such as Columbia’s own Ice Maiden II), and the Heavenly had better stability on every surface we walked on, other than ice.
We tried the Kamik Sienna 2, but it doesn’t have a tread pattern that provides any help on slick surfaces. And we also tried the GlobalWin Waterproof Winter Boot, but the flaws were many, including a sole so slippery that no tester would set foot on ice without holding onto something. Overall, the majority of winter boots, even most of our picks here, have only average traction on ice. Rubber is just not the solution if you need to stay completely sure-footed on frozen water. But with that in mind, the GlobalWin felt particularly treacherous.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: This is not the boot for you if you have cold feet. The Heavenly is insulated, like all the boots we tested, with 200-gram insulation. In addition, it has a reflective silver dot pattern printed all over the inside, to reflect back heat. Yet it still feels colder than others, and it is indeed rated down to only -25 °F/-32 °C, which makes it not as warm as a -40 °F/-40 °C boot (the rating that testers found worked the best).
A neoprene boot coated in thick rubber from top to bottom, this is a classic mud and farm work boot, adapted for winter conditions. However, we wouldn’t take them out in deep snow due to the open top.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $180.
A neoprene boot coated in thick rubber from top to bottom, this is a classic mud and farm work boot, adapted for winter conditions. However we wouldn’t take them out in deep snow due to the open top.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $170.
Get this if: You are the type of winter warrior who is always in and out of the house—shoveling, taking out the trash, visiting the neighbors—and therefore always pulling boots on and off.
Why it’s great: The Muck Boot Arctic Ice Mid, available in women’s and men’s sizes, had the second-best ice traction of any boot we tested (second only to the Danner Arctic), and it feels durable enough to outlast our time here on earth.
Every boot we tested for this guide had some sort of “winterized rubber” sole. Winter rubber can stay softer at lower temperatures, and soft rubber is grippy rubber. However, very few soles provided a noticeable difference in traction at all, with two exceptions. With no knowledge of what was under their feet (testers were not informed of what their boots were made of), our team reported better traction walking on smooth ice in these boots and in the Danner Arctic.
Both have lugs made from Vibram Arctic Grip rubber, which is soft in cold temps and has a texture like a cat’s tongue. It’s the only rubber we found that had any noticeable impact on surface friction.
There are some fit differences between this and more traditional boots, such as the Kamik and Sorel boots. The Muck boot is made of neoprene, and there’s no insulating lining (the neoprene does the insulating). It has an outer shell of hard rubber—like a rain boot—so it won’t fit like a shoe, but it allows more movement in the foot. That makes this boot much easier to slip on and off for quick entries and exits than the lace-up Danner.
Typically, this foot movement causes some instability on ice and snow. In this case, the rubber returns much of the traction lost by the fit, and in a noticeable way.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The major flaw with this boot is the wide top opening. If you step in snow deeper than the boot, you get a foot full of snow (so much for all that waterproofing). But it’s so functional in other ways that we still think it’s a great option. There is also a knee-high version available for men and women, if you prefer.
The faux fur on this slip-on boot sets it apart—the warmth, the cozy sensation, and even the additional stability it provides make it worth recommending.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $128.
Get this if: You prefer a cozier slip-on that will still keep you stable and dry while you are shoveling and running errands. What you gain in convenience with rubber, slip-on snow boots you sometimes lose in ankle stability (which really impacts traction). In the case of the Bogs Arcata, the faux fur lining helps address that issue.
Why it’s great: All of that faux fur makes the Bogs Arcata warm, cozy, and a better fit than any other slip-on boot we tried.
Faux fur is sometimes ridiculed among my friends as being the new pink, in terms of women’s fashion. But in the case of winter boots, faux fur is a big advantage! The original native mukluks used fur for warmth, and in this case, the faux fur lining goes all the way over the toes. It makes an all-rubber boot, which can feel loose around the feet, fit more snugly and therefore behave more stably on loose snow, packed snow, and chunky ice.
These boots feel warm, and they should, since they’re rated to -58° F/-50° C, the warmest of our picks. Most of our choices in this guide aren’t made for such cold temperatures.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: As with every slip-on boot, the top is open, and snow can get in. Snow can also get in through the cut-out handles. But you may not notice or care if you don’t regularly deal with large drifts of fresh snow, and the faux fur offers at least a small amount of protection.
It’s easy to dismiss these boots since people wear them year-round, but there’s nothing better for winter travel, winter driving, or après-ski.
It’s easy to dismiss these boots since people wear them year-round, but there’s no better boot for winter travel, winter driving, or après-ski.
Get this if: You’re getting on a plane and traveling to winter weather or going skiing.
Why it’s great: The Ugg Classic Short Boot (men’s) and the Ugg Classic Short II Boot (women’s) is a functional winter shoe that’s easy to drive in, cozy and warm, treated to be weather-resistant, and lined with real wool that will not stink after a few uses.
That’s the perfect combination of features for après-ski, when you need to change out of hard boots, get damp feet warm, then probably drive somewhere. It’s also a perfect solution for winter travel, acting as travel shoe, warm slipper, and winter boot at your final destination.
It’s hard to separate the Ugg brand from its reputation as a polarizing year-round fashion choice. But this wasn’t always the case. These boots are a legitimate piece of outdoor gear, originally invented to keep surfers’ feet warm after getting out of cold water. And we think they still do the job better than any other similar option.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: There is no traction advantage. These boots won’t give you any special grip on snow or ice. That said, if you wear them mostly on pavement, in cars, around airports, or indoors, it’s less of an issue.
We began our research by seeing what other review sites had to say. Some of our best sources include GearLab, SectionHiker, and customer reviews from outdoor retailers like REI. We decided we were looking for a classic pair of winter “pac boots,” a term that broadly refers to a style of winter boot with a big, waterproof rubber base that encases most of the exterior foot. These are the features we focused on:
Waterproofing: A waterproof sole is a good, obvious place to start. But the shaft height of the boot, as well as how snugly it fits around the leg, also makes a difference. We chose boots that had tall shafts, about 8 to 10 inches. They keep snow out! We also looked for boots with snow collars, which line the opening of the boot and keep snow from falling in or clinging to your leg.
Warmth: We chose to test boots that use 200-gram insulation in their design. That means one square meter of insulating material weighs 200 grams. This is the weight commonly used in boots designed to keep you warm while you’re active outside for short periods of time (like an hour or two). Warmer boots, meant for standing still in the cold, often have heavier insulation—400 grams, 600 grams, or more.
We also sought out boots with reflective layers, which send body heat back to the wearer. Columbia aggressively markets its reflection tech as Omni Heat, but a lot of brands do this, including Baffin, Kamik, and others. This design increases warmth without adding bulk.
As for temperature ratings, we were initially skeptical of temperature ratings provided by manufacturers. How warm a boot is depends on how long you’ll be outside, how active you are, and your individual metabolism. But when we had testers tell us how warm a boot felt, subjectively, their impressions were a relative match—boots with warmer ratings felt warmer, and those with colder ratings felt colder.
Traction: A great winter boot sole is hard to design, because it has to navigate so many surfaces. Shapes and materials perform differently when you’re walking on packed snow, dry snow, crunchy ice, smooth ice, dry ice, wet ice, or something in between. We sent our testers out with clipboards and charts and had them rate traction on every one of those different surfaces.
Though sticky, winter-specific rubber gets all the attention, we discovered there are four ways a boot can gain and improve traction on snow and ice:
Style options: What’s better, a slip-on or a lace-up? That depends on what you need. Laces give you a better fit and a lot of traction, and that makes a good ice boot and a good walking shoe. Slip-ons are functional for going in and out of the house 10 times a day. So we chose a few of each, and if a shoe somehow integrated both functions, even better.
Cost: We haven’t spoken to a single friend, colleague, or acquaintance who bought their boots at full price, unless it was an intentional fashion purchase. For that reason, we chose not to define a price bracket for this guide because we think it’s likely you can get a deal. It seemed more important to find what worked, and then discuss why.
We were having some stock issues with the Danner Arctic 600 Side Zip for men and women, our former pick for walking on ice. While we still like this boot, we’ve decided to dismiss it in favor of concentrating our guide on more snow-specific boots, instead of hikers. However, if you’re considering it, and can find it, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
We had high hopes for the men’s and women’s Baffin Canada, but the fit was off. There was a significant amount of heel lift for all our testers that made them hard to wear.
The L.L.Bean Snow Boots for men and women are rain boots masquerading as snow boots. The fit around the foot is loose, like on a rain boot, and the tread pattern doesn’t have any lugs.
Columbia Heavenly Slip II and Shorty Omni-Heat have the same snow-friendly foot shape as our pick, the Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat, but without the laces or tall shaft height, there is less ability to keep snow out of your boot and off your pants.
The Columbia Minx Mid III is similar to the Columbia Heavenly. The differences, according to a Columbia rep, “relate to the rivets and aglets, and subtle changes in design.” We chose the Heavenly because you can tell just by holding it that the construction seems more solid.
The number one best seller for women’s snow boots on Amazon, the Columbia Ice Maiden II, is very one-size-fits-all, making it looser in the foot and calf, even with a robust tightening of the laces. There was no traction advantage, and it’s more of a warm shoe that looks like a boot. Same for the GlobalWin Waterproof Winter Snowboots, “Amazon’s choice” in March 2020 for “women’s short winter snowboots.” The shaft is not very tall, and the snow collar doesn’t do anything. And they had the worst traction of every boot we tested (imagine plastic on ice).
The North Face Chilkat III is sort of a snow boot, sort of a hiker. But it’s chunkier than other hikers, shorter than our top pick for snow, and it costs more, too. (The boot has been discontinued for winter 2021; it appears to have been replaced by the Chilkat Nylon II boot, which has an even shorter shaft, and the Tsumoru Boot, which also appears to be quite short.)
The foot on the North Face Shellista II didn’t fit our testers as well as the Heavenly, and it doesn’t have the lugs that give that boot traction, either.
The lining of the LaCrosse Outpost II is so, so squishy. Sometimes gear writers say dumb things like, “This boot feels like walking on marshmallows!” But that’s definitely true in this case. And though we liked that about this boot, the fit was off. The ankle was very soft, and the boot itself is huge.
The Sorel 1964 Pac 2 boots for men and women have rain-boot treads and are slippery in snow. The same goes for the women’s Joan of Arctic and women’s Tofino II. Sorel women’s Tivoli IV use only 100 grams of insulation and are not warm enough for winter.
The Kamik Sienna 2 boots are cute but have no nubby traction like the Sorel Caribou or the Columbia Heavenly boots.
Reviewers love the Bearpaw Elle, and the pair we’re testing look and feel just like an UGG out of the box, at less than half the price. But first, it should be noted that Fakespot gave this particular listing a “D”, which effectively knocks the Elle rating down to 1.5 stars. Either way, we’re concerned about the lining. The website states it’s a “shearling and wool blend” but it feels mostly synthetic. We’re convinced that very quickly, it will become matted and pilled, and after about a season of use will begin to smell. We know because we’ve tested dozens of boots and slippers like this. If you want a pair of boots in this style, and want them to last more than a season, we recommend going with the UGG shorty.
The Men’s Muck Boot Arctic Excursion Mid, also a former pick, didn’t have the same level of grip as our new pick, the Muck Boot Arctic Ice Mid.
We didn’t test a pair of Steger Mukluks because the price was even higher than that of the Uggs, and you have to waterproof them yourself. The Uggs come already coated and ready to wear.
When we went searching for new boots to test this year, a lot of places were out of inventory. But we have plans to get our hands on some new models from The North Face and Kamik as soon as things are back in stock.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
Eve O'Neill is a senior staff writer reporting on travel and outdoors at Wirecutter. She can remember the titles on her childhood bookshelf that set her in this direction: Into Thin Air, On The Road, The Call of the Wild. She has always been drawn to ideas about how to relate to, and play in, the wilderness.
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